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#££@%==^,, SEVERAL CENTURIES AFTER IT HAD LAST ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, BELONGED TO US, WE WENT ON AN OUTING TO ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, THE GLASS FACTORY THAT BORE OUR FAMILY ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, NAME. IT HAD CHANGED OWNERS MANY TIMES ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, SINCE OUR ANCESTORS DEATH, AND THEN ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, STOOD ABANDONED FOR A LONG WHILE. ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, FINALLY, THE NATURAL END STATION FOR ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, THE BUILDINGS THAT SURVIVE: A MUSEUM, ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, AND A GIFT SHOP. ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, THERE'S A LONG TIME SINCE MY FAMILY ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, MADE ANYTHING. BY MANY, WE WOULD BE ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, CONSIDERED POOR. ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, THERE ARE TWO MAIN FACTORY BUILDINGS, ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, DOMED THINGS OF SEVERAL FLOORS, MADE IN ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, YELLOW BRICK. LARGE BUT NARROW WINDOWS, ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, REMINESCENT OF SOME CATHEDRAL. ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, CUSTOM-MADE GLASS, OF COURSE, LARGE AND ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, LEADED, AND ASHEN. A BIT TOO DARK TO BE ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, PRACTICAL. ON THE EASTERN BUILDING, ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, SOME ARE SHATTERED. ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, THE OTHER ONE IS PUBLICLY OPEN. THERE'S ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, A MUSEUM, WITH WAX FIGURES OF MY GREAT ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER, OR SOMETHING. ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, VARIOUS TOOLS (OR REPLICAS) LAID OUT ON ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, TABLES, WITH EXPLAINING TEXTS. A LOT OF ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, GLASS OF VARYING THICKNESS. ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, %% ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, %% %% ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, ======= % % ======= ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, %% %% ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, %% ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, I QUICKLY SNEAK OUT, AND CLIMB INTO THE ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, OTHER BUILDING. THE CONTRAST IS ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, OVERWHELMING. IT MUST HAVE STOOD ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, DERELICT FOR A LONG TIME, WINDOWS ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, BROKEN, METALLIC TRASH AND POOLS OF ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, DARK GLASS ALL OVER THE FLOOR. NO ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, ELECTRIC LIGHTS, BUT I CAN SEE BY THE ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, LIGHT THAT SHINES IN WHEREVER THE DARK ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, WINDOWS ARE MISSING A PANE. ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, HOWEVER, THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE IS THE ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, HIGHER FLOORS: THIS BUILDING HAS NONE. ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, IT IS ONE MASSIVE HALL, STRETCHING AWAY ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, INFINITELY ABOVE ME. SOMEWHERE UP THERE ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, IS SOME GREAT IRON LATTICEWORK, FROM ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, WHERE CHAINS ARE SUSPENDED, AND PARTS ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, OF MACHINERY HAS BEEN FALLING DOWN. ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, THERE IS, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, HALL, A THIN SPIRAL STAIRCASE THAT ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, LEADS UP THERE. I SNEAK OVER THERE, AND ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, TAKE A FEW RELUCTANT STEPS. AFTER JUST ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, A REVOLUTION, I NOTICE THAT FOR EACH ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, STEP THE BUILDING STARTS TO GLOW, THE ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, BRICKS TURNING A DARK RED, AND THEN ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, ORANGE, ALL THE PILED UP DEBREE BEING ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, LIT FROM BEHIND. ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, I STOP READY TO RUN DOWN AND OUT, BUT ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE ON THE STAIRCASE ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, WITH ME NOW, PRESSED CLOSE. HE'S ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, LOOKING LIKE ME, SHORT HAIR AND THIN ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, ARMS, BUT WITH EARS FROM SOME ANIMAL, ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, AND MORE DISTURBINGLY, COMPLETELY MADE ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, OF DARK LIQUID GLASS. ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, %% ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, %% %% ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, ======= % % ======= ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, %% %% ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, %% ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, MY FEAR HOLDS ME IN PLACE WHILE HE ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, STARTS OPERATING LEVERS AND DIALS SET ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, IN THE CENTER OF THE STAIRCASE. SLOWLY, ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, IT STARTS SPINNING, CIRCLING UPWARDS. ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, IT'S AN ELEVATOR! I START TO RUN ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, DOWNWARDS, BUT NOW THE LIQUID BOY ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, CREATURE GRABS HOLD OF ME. I TRY TO ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, SHAKE HIM OFF, BUT HE'S TOO STRONG, AND ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, PULLS ME BACK UP BESIDE HIM. ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, THIS TIME, I TURN ANGRY INSTEAD. WHAT ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, THE HELL? WHO IS THIS GUY, ACTING LIKE ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, THIS? I REACH OUT MY FREE ARM AND SLAM ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, A RANDOM LEVER. SOME METAL BAR IS ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, SUDDENLY RELEASED BETWEEN US, HITTING ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, HIM ON THE ARM, FORCING MY RELEASE. I ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, SHOVE HIM OFF OF ME, AND HE FALLS INTO ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, THE LEVERS, MESSING THEM UP. ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, IMMEDIATELY, A THIN RUSTY CHAINMAIL ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, CURTAIN IS DROPPED AROUND ME. BUT THE ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, ELEVATOR ALSO SPEEDS UP SIGNIFICANTLY. ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, THE WALLS ARE FLARING NOW, YELLOW, ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, WHITE, ALMOST BLUE. I CLOSE MY EYES AND ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, CURL INTO A BALL. BUT THEN, THE GLASS ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, BOY SCREAMS, A PIERCING SOUND THAT ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, FORCES MY EYES BACK OPEN. I WATCH AS HE ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, BECOMES TOO LIQUID, HIS BODY POOLING ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, DOWN IN HIS NOW MASSIVE TAIL, AND THE ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, TIP OF IT SUDDENLY BREAKS OF IN A GLASS ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, DROP THAT FALLS TOWARD THE FACTORY ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, FLOOR. ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, HE'S CRAWLING ON THE STAIRS, UNABLE TO ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, KEEP HIS BODY UPRIGHT. CAN'T REACH THE ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, LEVERS, CLAWS AT MY CHAINMAIL CAGE, ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, WHILE HIS BODY IS TURNING INTO DARK ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, PEARLS. FINALLY, HE'S LOST TOO MUCH OF ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, HIMSELF AND THE SCREAM IS CUT SHORT. ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, THE LAST OF HIM RAINS DOWN. ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, I STILL CAN'T REACH THE LEVERS FROM ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, WITHIN MY CAGE. LOOKING UP, I TRY TO ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, MAKE OUT THE CEILING, BUT IT'S ALL A ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, WHIRLING SEA OF COLOURS. BELOW ME GLOWS ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, THE HELLFIRE OF THE FACTORY WALLS, BUT ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, VERY FAINT. I SIT DOWN, CURL BACK UP, ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, BECOME STILL. ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, %% ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, %% %% ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, ======= % % ======= ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, %% %% ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, %% ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, A LARGE CLUNK SHAKES MY ENTIRE BODY, ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, AND SNAPS ME BACK INTO REALITY. I'M ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, BACK AT THE FACTORY FLOOR, BUT THE ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, STAIRS ARE STILL MOVING SLIGHTLY, ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, CLICKING IN PLACE, CARRYING ME THE LAST ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, FEW CENTIMETERS. I CAME FROM BELOW, ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, SOMEHOW. THE CHAINMAIL IS RETRACTED, ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, AND I SLOWLY DISMOUNT THE STAIRS. ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, SHAKING AND CRYING, I MAKE MY WAY OVER ,,,,^==%@£
££@%==^,,, THE FACTORY FLOOR, WADING THROUGH DARK ,,,^==%@££
#££@%==^,, GLASS MARBLES. A QUICK GLANCE DOWN, AND ,,^==%@££#
##££@%==^, I SEE THERE'S SOMETHING FAINT INSIDE ,^==%@££##
#££@%==^,, THEM. EMBRYOS? ARE THESE EGGS? ,,^==%@££#
££@%==^,,, ,,,^==%@££
£@%==^,,,, I SHUDDER, AND CLIMB BACK OUT. ,,,,^==%@£
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